Male Bullock's Oriole

(568 views)
by Terry Costales

Male Bullock's Oriole feeding three babies in its hanging nest.

American White Pelican

(518 views)
by Terry Costales

There was this one lone white pelican at the nature center that day. It was probably an injured bird being nursed back to health, or it just knew a good hand-out when it saw one.

Cormorant

(514 views)
by Terry Costales

This bird is resting on an urn placed next to a reflecting pool inside the Stuttgart Zoo. It isn't caged and flew in on its own. I witnessed many herons, storks and cormorants fly into various enclosures to take advantage of the plentiful food supply.

Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)

(510 views)
by Terry Costales

These little birds were everywhere. They were always on the move, hopping, flitting, hanging upside down and really fun to watch.

Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)

(510 views)
by Terry Costales

The Little Blue was the prettiest heron I saw in Costa Rica. Its body was blue, the neck a purplish color and it always appeared very graceful. We saw them in every region we visited.

Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)

(508 views)
by Terry Costales

This is a very cute little diving bird . When they come up after a dive they puff up their posterior so it looks like a big powder puff. Then right before they dive, they bring those feathers close to their body and the powder puff becomes a streamlined torpedo.

Bar-headed Geese

(508 views)
by Terry Costales

There is a small flock of these beautiful geese living on the small lake inside the zoo. Bar-headed geese were featured in the nature documentary "Winged Migration" which I highly reccomend.

Bare-Throated Tiger Heron (Tigrisoma mexicanum)

(508 views)
by Terry Costales

We saw a lot of these solitary herons on the trip. Although it's called bare throated, you can't see that detail in this flying shot.

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

(508 views)
by Denver Welte

Bald Eagles are very numerous in Dutch Harbor, where they live year round. They are used to people and you see them perched on dumpsters and piers, looking for an easy meal. Bald comes from the Old English "pie-bald", which means partially white.

Lesser Scaup

(508 views)
by Terry Costales

Here is the female lesser scaup. The mate of yesterday's male.

Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)

(508 views)
by Terry Costales

There were many male and female Goldeneyes out on the lake that day. This is a very handsome male. Goldeneyes are closely related to Buffleheads and are also found in Scotland and Great Britain.

Northern "Bullock's" Oriole (Icterus bullockii)

(508 views)
by Terry Costales

I observed this female oriole as it fed and then flew into its nearby nest. It would remain in its nest a few minutes, then fly out again. The nest would have been invisible if not for the white egret feathers the orioles had used in its construction.

Mourning Dove

(508 views)
by Terry Costales

The shy Mourning Dove reveals some lovely colors.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

(508 views)
by Terry Costales

This pair of woodpeckers stayed in the tops of very tall trees making them very hard to photograph. This shot has been cropped about 75%. The Great Spotted is larger, with a longer bill than the Middle Spotted Woodpecker. Yes, there is a Lesser Spotted but I never saw one.

Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos medius)

(508 views)
by Terry Costales

My first day in the woods I heard woodpeckers but only glimpsed them from a distance. My second day was more successful and I saw several. Not close-up but close enough for a photo.

Ostrich (Struthio camelus)

(508 views)
by Terry Costales

Up close and personal with a curious ostrich.

Green Heron

(508 views)
by Terry Costales

Green herons are abundant in Costa Rica. We saw them on both coasts and in a preserve near the center of Costa Rica. It took me a while to remember their name however, because they are hardly green at all.

Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus)

(508 views)
by Terry Costales

This was the first Toucan I saw in Costa Rica. A keel-billed or Fruit Loops Toucan.

Jabiru (Jabiru mycteria)

(508 views)
by Terry Costales

Our guide Jaime was very excited to see these migratory Jabiru because they were a very rare sight. Jabiru are storks which stand four and a half feet tall. The ones we saw were sedate and seemed to be resting in the shade.

Mangrove Swallow (Tachycineta albilinea)

(508 views)
by Terry Costales

This swallow is one of a pair we saw from the boat. They patiently remained perched for several minutes while everyone photographed them.

Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus)

(508 views)
by Terry Costales

The light color of this bird indicates that it is a juvenile. The adult of this bird is all black. Neotropic is the only species of cormorant that resides in Costa Rica.

Boat-billed Heron (Cochlearius cochlearius)

(508 views)
by Terry Costales

You only need to glimpse the bill of this bird to know exactly why it is called boat-billed.

Chiloe Wigeon (Anas sibilatrix)

(508 views)
by Terry Costales

The Chiloe Wigeon comes from, as its name suggests, Chile. The duck was curious and friendly even though it knew we weren't going to feed it. The "No feeding the animals" rule is strictly adhered to in Germany.

Great Tit (Parus major)

(508 views)
by Terry Costales

The Great Tit is the most numerous bird in the parks of Karlsruhe and is related to the bird of yesterdays' posting. The Great is a little larger and bolder.

Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)

(508 views)
by Terry Costales

The Fieldfare is about the size of an American Robin and its movements are similar. It took me quite a while to identify it as I had never heard of a Fieldfare before. According to Wikipedia the name comes from "feld-fere meaning "traveller through the fields", probably from their constantly moving, foraging habits."